MARCENT welcomes new commander

Photo By Master Sgt. Dana Flamer | Sergeant Major William T. Thurber, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command sergeant major, presents the MARCENT battle colors to Lt. Gen. Dave “Smoke” Beydler during a change of command ceremony at the Vince Tolbert Building at MacDill Air Force Base, July 11. Beydler, who has served as the MARCENT commander since Oct. 27, 2015, will pass the battle colors to Lt. Gen. Carl E. Mundy, III, representing the exchange of command.  

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, FL, UNITED STATES

07.11.2018

Story by Master Sgt. Stephen Traynham 

U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command

United States Marine Corps Forces Central Command held a change of command ceremony at the Vince Tolbert Building on MacDill Air Force Base, July 11.
Lieutenant General Carl E. Mundy, III, relieved Lt. Gen. William D. Beydler as the MARCENT commander. General Robert B. Neller, 37th Commandant of the Marine Corps, presided over the ceremony.
Neller shared with those in attendance Mundy’s experience in the Central Command’s area of responsibility ranging from serving as a battalion commander and Marine Expeditionary Unit commander in Iraq, working on the CENTCOM Staff, and serving as the Deputy MARCENT Commander and 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade Commander in Bahrain.
“When we had to find somebody to replace Dave Beydler, it was who’s the best and most qualified player to do this. It was Sam Mundy,” Neller said.
In 2012, Neller became the first stand-alone commander of MARCENT, a feat Mundy paid homage to during the ceremony.
“Sir I’ll take the good work you started that was continued by Frank McKenzie and ‘Smoke’ Beydler, and continue it here going forward in the future,” Mundy said addressing the Commandant.
Beydler served as the MARCENT Commander since Oct. 27, 2015.
“For the last three years Dave Beydler has advocated for not just the Marines here in Tampa, but for the Marines that were deployed in the CENTCOM AOR,” Neller said.
“Never once did I come on this base not knowing I had a lot to do, and it was all important. It impacted the lives of the Marines and Sailors forward—everyday. I’m going to miss that,” Beydler said.
Mundy, joins MARCENT while continuing to serve as the commander of U.S. Marine Corps Special Operations Command, in Camp Lejeune, N.C. He will relinquish command of MARSOC during a ceremony at a later date.
”You know what the mission is. You know the AOR. You know what you got to do,” Neller said to Mundy as he closed.

• Date Taken: 07.11.2018
• Date Posted: 07.13.2018 16:08
• Story ID: 284184
• Location: MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, FL, US
• Hometown: TAMPA, FL, US
• Hometown: WAYNESVILLE, NC, US